An Echolls Family Christmas
"An Echolls Family Christmas" was the tenth episode of the first season of Veronica Mars. It aired, and was released, as the tenth episode, but was intended to be the eleventh. In this episode, Veronica investigates when someone steals Logan's money at a poker game. Meanwhile, Keith investigates a mysterious person who is stalking Aaron Echolls. Despite ranking low in the ratings and marking a season low in terms of number of viewers, the episode was critically lauded. Synopsis searches for his missing poker winnings.]] Veronica and Keith decorate their Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Duncan dances around drunkenly at a poker party with Logan, Weevil, and two others, Sean and Connor. Weevil wins $5,000 from Logan when they both go all in. However, when Logan opens his money box, he finds that the money is missing. Weevil grows angry and asks each of the other members for $1,000. The next day at school, Duncan confronts Weevil, who stole his laptop. Veronica approaches him, and Duncan tells her about his problem. Duncan tells Veronica that his computer contains some private information regarding their past relationship. Veronica asks Weevil for the computer back, but he refuses. Weevil explains why he was at the card game and says that Logan had an opportunity to hide the money during the game. Logan's mother, Lynn Echolls, visits Keith and tells him about threatening letters that a mysterious person sent to her husband. Later, Veronica talks to Duncan, who gives his side of the story. Duncan also blames Logan. Later, Duncan confronts Logan about stealing the money, but he refuses to give any details. When Keith visits the Echolls' house, he finds a pumpkin outside their front door with Aaron's face on it and a knife through it. Veronica stops by the Echolls' house and talks to Logan, and he says that he thinks that Connor stole the money. Veronica visits Connor's movie set, and she questions him about the poker game. However, he does not know who could have stolen the money. Veronica attempts to visit Sean, but his father turns her away. After deducing that the pumpkin probably has something to do with a halloween encounter or incident, Keith goes to the caterer of the party Aaron was at that day. The caterer tells him that Aaron was having an affair at that party. The next day, Veronica talks to Sean, who tells her that he thinks that Weevil stole the money. Keith talks to Aaron, who admits to the affair and says that it was with his agent's wife, Monica Hadwin. Veronica frets about Duncan's diary before Veronica comes up and makes a deal with Logan: He will host another poker game so Veronica can determine who the thief is. At the poker game, Veronica reveals her findings: Duncan was faking being drunk in order to win the money, not steal it, Connor was simply using a muscle enhancer, and Logan is not the thief because his room was messy (and Veronica figures that if he hid the money, he wouldn't tear apart his room looking for it. Veronica figures out that Sean is the criminal, not Weevil. Sean stuffed the money into the recycling and picked it up the next morning. Sean and Weevil go off by themselves, presumably so Weevil can punish him. Keith talks to the caterer again and asks her to describe the woman she fired. The poker guests then go to Aaron Echolls' party. Veronica, off by herself, finds Jake Kane and confronts him about the pictures of her taken by his security chief, Clarence Wiedman. Jake screams at her that he doesn't know, and Keith views the scene. Jake then angrily talks to his wife, Celeste, who actually sent Clarence to take the pictures. The majority of the guests go outside to sing Christmas carols while Aaron is confronted by his stalker, the woman whom the caterer fired. The stalker stabs Aaron, but the other guests do not notice because they aren't there. Keith tackles the stalker, and Lynn calls for an ambulance as Logan looks on, ending the episode on a cliffhanger. Arc significance *Veronica confronts Jake Kane at the party about the surveillance photos sent to her mom. Jake denies knowing about them, but leaves while grabbing Celeste and saying, "What did you do?" to her. *Aaron Echolls is stabbed by a jealous former lover, which results in his wife learning of her husband's infidelity with other women. Cast Main Cast *Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars *Percy Daggs III as Wallace Fennel *Teddy Dunn as Duncan Kane *Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls *Francis Capra as Eli "Weevil" Navarro *Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars Guest Stars * Lisa Rinna as Lynn Echolls * Lisa Thornhill as Celeste Kane * Kevin Sheridan as Sean Friedrich * Travis Schuldt as Connor Larkin * Emmanuelle Vaugier as Monica Hadwin * Harry Hamlin as Aaron Echolls * Kyle Secor as Jake Kane Music * "Little Bit More" - Tony C. & the Truth * "Slow Hands" - Interpol * "Saturday Night" - Ozomatli * "Camp-Fire" - Starling Electric * "Carol of the Bells" - Rafael Padilla * "Little Drummer Boy" - The Dandy Warhols Production details * This episode was originally supposed to air after "Silence of the Lamb". Quotes and trivia :Veronica: Hey. :Weevil: See, there you go with that head-tilt thing. You know, you think you're all badass, but whenever you need something it's all, "Hey." :Veronica: Just be glad I don't flip my hair. I'd own you. :Logan: This is why I suggested attack dogs. But no, my mother wanted an alpaca. :and Weevil load their plates at the elegant Echolls Christmas party. :Weevil: Seriously, don't I just blend right in? Come on. Where's Weevil? :Logan: Ho....Ho.... :at Veronica. :Logan: Ho. :stomps on Logan's books. :Logan: If you're asking me to the prom again, the answer is still no. :Weevil: You're concerned? I'm the one who's gotta go up into the hills, all by myself. What if I run into a pack of you white boys, eh, on some clean, well lit street. I could be bored to death. :Logan: Fine. It's a thousand dollars in ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. :starts to walk away :Logan: We don't take food stamps. :Weevil: Ouch, you got me. :Logan: Do you even know how to play poker? :Veronica: No. But it must be really hard if all you guys play it. * The closing line, "No, Veronica, there is no Santa Claus" is a reference to the classic essay "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". External links * MI.net's Roundtable Review. * Soulful Spike Society's Open Case. * Television Without Pity Recap. Category:Season 1 Episodes